By: James Quinn
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Authoring a vampire sci-fi story is a delicate task to achieve but I daresay that author, James Quinn here has a masterpiece in Nightshades of New Orleans.
The plot opens with Luke and his daughter at the pharmacy. Baby Sue was a seemingly innocent girl until his father’s thoughts reveal his feelings of guilt and getting torn by knowing he needs to feed his daughter no matter the cost…or what human lives can be endangered. Even her mother Myrna grieved at what she became, blaming Luke for bringing her to the institute, “She came home a devilʼs child!” But there is more to be uncovered as the plot thickens and Luke recalls his De Leonne ancestry no matter how much he wants to forget those dark times.
That is just the tip of the iceberg but there is still so much to discover about the darkness that envelopes New Orleans. And I dare you to enter the world of the Nightshades.
Just by the first sentence in a novel, you can already tell how good a book can be and I must say, this is extremely impressive. You know what they say, that you don’t have to taste a whole jar of caviar to know how good it is? Well, this beyond good because it is rad!
I have a family though that I have been following closely in this book: they are the Tasker’s, a rich Southern family. Hugh and Claire Tasker are parents to Roxanne and her sister Delia. I particularly like Roxanne because even if on the outside she appears to be a disobedient young lady, inside, she is a caring friend to Alice and Charlotte. Instinctively, she knew there was something wrong about the sanitarium that her father sent her sister Delia to and I liked it that she was fearless enough in wanting to get her out of there. Meanwhile, Hugh as a father seems to be only doing what’s best for his daughter but parents have this tendency to see only their perspective and that is when their judgment gets clouded when it comes to doing what is truly best for their children.
I didn’t want the story to end but this was really well-written and I urge you to have a go at this book. I’m going to read other books by James Quinn next.
Versatile, holistic, and definitely extraordinary.
For a fiction novel, this is one I have read which covers different genres…and that is also because of that aspect that makes it unique and desirable to read. I see science fiction, action, mystery, historical fiction, thriller, and suspense. The horror seems subtle at the outset but it is actually very horrifying.
Needless to say, I enjoyed it tremendously. What a great work by author James Quinn!
One of the main characters to watch out for is Detective Trevor Howard. Trevor himself is a mysterious character as he is an outsider in New Orleans. He was only brought in to help in the serial killer investigation. He is quite keen though as he observed, “The bite marks on the pharmacist’s corpse were human, most likely that of a small child.” His role is important in this case as he is not as involved in the community as the others in Oakvale – at least in the early part of the story. How his involvement evolves though is a plot development to look forward to.
If they are going to turn this into a movie, I’ll be the first one to line up at the cinemas.
Luke, Myrna, Baby Sue…are they the merciless monsters who haunt the weak of Oakvale, or are they victims of the frightening circumstances that have entrapped New Orleans?
Nightshades of New Orleans is for me an unforgettable book that sets the bar higher for any fiction that I am going to read in the future. I believe that it is flawless, making me wonder how authors like Quinn can even come up with such a great story and sustain your attention throughout. Pure talent!
The experience was very cinematic in my mind and I didn’t mind spending my time with each page – I just had to find out everything that is happening with the characters. I had to know the fate that was in store for the wealthy Southern families in New Orleans. I was following the romance that was brewing between Lana and Trevor. I wanted to know more about the characters as Dr. Roth’s sanitarium and of their transformation. I want Charlotte to escape from her perpetrator. I don’t know why but I like it that Kash is pursuing Alice and the latter is attracted to the former as well even if she doesn’t who or what he really is.
This is one truly admirable work.
Authoring a vampire sci-fi story is a delicate task to achieve but I daresay that author, James Quinn here has a masterpiece in Nightshades of New Orleans.
The plot opens with Luke and his daughter at the pharmacy. Baby Sue was a seemingly innocent girl until his father’s thoughts reveal his feelings of guilt and getting torn by knowing he needs to feed his daughter no matter the cost…or what human lives can be endangered. Even her mother Myrna grieved at what she became, blaming Luke for bringing her to the institute, “She came home a devilʼs child!” But there is more to be uncovered as the plot thickens and Luke recalls his De Leonne ancestry no matter how much he wants to forget those dark times.
That is just the tip of the iceberg but there is still so much to discover about the darkness that envelopes New Orleans. And I dare you to enter the world of the Nightshades.
I don’t know why there are evil individuals in our society but when it comes to this novel, I have a candidate for Dr. Roth.
Dr. Otto Roth is a strange, mysterious character who gave me goosebumps. In society, he was sought after for his expertise in neurology, psychiatry, and award-winning genetic advances. To the world, he was a successful geneticist who runs a sanitarium for those needing healing and recovery. However, the Fairoaks Sanitarium is full of suspicious patients including Alfred, his valet. Dr. Roth thinks of his work as his valuable contribution to science not minding studying “the brain of a madman, one of New Yorkʼs most notorious serial killers.”
I am not gonna tell you all because you will find out soon enough once you read the book. But what I’m saying is that this has been more than worth it!
Seasoned author, James Quinn has done it again in Nightshades of New Orleans. I first encountered Quinn’s magic in his earlier novel, The Vampire’s Orchids. Aside from the vampire theme as a commonality, I also see consistency in the author’s first-rate storytelling that is fast-paced and never lacking in compelling factors. He definitely knows how to draw his readers into the story as if they are the most important part of it. Well, in my case, reading his books is indeed a treat so I don’t mind my involvement in it.
With Nightshades of New Orleans, I have found a fantastic world for which I became intrigued, scared, inspired, and moved. It is heartwarming and yet heart-wrenching at the same time. Get into the pages of this book and you will confirm these thoughts and feelings to be true.
The depiction of the Tasker family drama is one of my favourite parts of the novel. I’ve always been intrigued by how the rich lived their lives and the Tasker’s are enormously interesting. They do like keeping appearances especially in front of business acquaintances, at least this holds true of Mr Hugh and Claire Tasker. Meanwhile, their daughter Roxanne is out with her boyfriend Adam. Another daughter Delia is in some sort of insane asylum.
On the other hand, I literally got scared when I read these lines:
“They laughed nervously as they began to eat their dinner, oblivious to the gathering forces which would shatter their genteel way of life forever, just as similar forces had done in the distant, but not forgotten past.”
I cannot really do justice to how amazing the book is that I have opted to share these exact lines here.
I urge you to witness the Nightshades of New Orleans.
